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China and Academic Freedom
By Dario Diorio, Torrington
During my visit to the Republic of China, I had occasion to observe the seriousness and the deep dedication of the Chinese people, in general, toward their government and its cause. We do not have good relations with the government of Fidel Castro of Cuba, but we have trade and economical ties with China, which seems to be our worse enemy. This adversarial behavior was shown very clearly by a Chinese general when addressing high officers of the Chinese military, who said that the U.S. is their number one enemy. I think that Fidel Castro, even if he professes a political ideology contrary to ours, is not, by all means, dangerous to the U.S.—he certainly knows better! But China? Let us think about that.
I read, among other things, that U.S.-based scholars born in China, for example, could be at risk of detention when visiting China, especially if they have "engaged in activities or published writings critical of the Chinese government".
As a longtime teacher, at all levels, I believe that a civil society should be able to have the free exchange of views and ideas which are essential for every healthy society. We should encourage and persuade the Chinese government to have a deep commitment to protecting and promoting academic freedom. Of course, there are conflicting opinions on this, and it is true that other factors influence whether our government chooses to act decisively on this serious problem. But as we try to promote trade with China, which may be important for our economy, let us not forget that academic freedom is also necessary for our society.
I know that too often injustices exist which are simply the way of the world, and there may be no way to change them—but let us try, at least, to convince those nations who deprive their citizens of academic freedom to consider something which is just as important as other material factors!
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